EDITED AND REPOSTED. Sorry for the previous grammatical mistakes... DX

A/N: This chapter is...not a normal chapter. It's written to sound like a fairy tale or a fable, or a Disney animated movie or something. This kind of writing style will only affect this chapter and not the succeeding ones, so if you don't like it, well...at least, you'll only see this style once!

Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi-sensei owns Prince of Tennis, not me. :)

More Than Just Man's Best Friend

Chapter 1

It was a dark and stormy night. In a dingy alley, the harsh rain battered on the scattered garbage bins, and if one listened closely, one will hear a small, whimpering sound.

In a tiny crevice between all the cardboards lay a diminutive shivering creature, from which the pitiful sounds came forth. Its hiding place did not help much on sheltering it from the freezing rain and the biting wind, so the little thing curled as much as it could to preserve the warmth its body provided.

The creature—a soaked, skinny dog—gave another whimper as lightning streaked and the loud crash of thunder sounded in the night. He was all alone in the world, cold, hungry, and needing comfort. His parents had died a long time ago, and he had no owner to call a friend. He had had one, long ago, but his owner had died as well, though he was young, for he was a very sickly boy indeed. And when the poor boy had died, the family was left behind with a pet they did not want, so they threw him out and left him there to die.

But the dog did not give up so easily. Though he was alone and miserable, he strived to live. He had to learn to be street-smart: to be able to scavenge for food in the trash bags that humans threw, and to be able to defend his find from the other vicious animals that live in the neighborhood. At first, he had not known any of these rules, and he barely lived with his stomach constantly growling with hunger. But as the days passed by, the little dog learned, and grew to learn to protect himself whenever needed. He still maintained his innocence and purity, though, and was not taken in by the different packs of dogs wanting the little dog to join them in their goal of creating discord among the humans at their great meeting place (downtown), or just annoying the humans that came with contraptions to try and catch them and put them in metal boxes (dog-catchers).

The dog was relatively happy, especially when it was sunny and he could freely run around—still careful of the man with a contraption that rides a big, moving, sound-making, metal box (a dog-catcher and his van)—but he dreaded the thunderstorms.

When the storm clouds came in, the dog would cower underneath anything. He could not help the way he felt, and he had thought that it was okay or normal to do so, as his former owner did the same, but apparently, it was not very courageous, and was considered cowardly. The little dog was a laughingstock among the other dogs.

He at first tried to conquer his fear in a series of courage tests, but each and every one of them failed, and the dog no longer thought he would be able to really overcome his fear. The dog just accepted it as the way he was, something that nothing could be done about.

But the other dogs did not think so, and they continued to bully the lonely dog. Oftentimes, he was beaten up and had to go home bloody, his body full of scratches and bite marks.

And so the dog was again lonely and miserable. He felt so alone, especially now as he shivered in fear as well as with the cold, under the makeshift cardboard home. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the sky brightened with another flash of lightening, followed by the roaring sound of thunder. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes hesitantly, and just as he did, a bright yellow light shone through the window of the house directly in front of him.

The dog envied the humans very much. They did not have to suffer from this because they had a warm cozy home that they lived in. They also did not have to fear the onslaught of the neighborhood dogs, for they were perfectly capable of defending themselves. One of the dogs that lived in that same alley was even gravely terrified even by just the sight of humans. Humans were strong and powerful. And, the dog mused, the humans had a very efficient way of getting food. Why, they are even capable of throwing the excess! It must be such a relief to be human... As the dog thought this, he remembered his former owner, whom he loved very much. I want to be human just like my owner...

The dog felt warmth in his chest as he thought of his owner: the warm, kind and caring human. And the little dog, with his tiny, beating heart, wished with all his might, to be human. All through the night, this fervent wish kept him company, and soon, he fell deeply asleep, with one last thought in his mind: I wish...

A/N: Okay? Not? Drop me a review to tell me what you think. Criticisms are greatly appreciated. :) Story proper starts in the next chapter (meaning Shishido will appear), so look forward to it, minna!

Thanks for reading!

Yamada Umeko